US court weighs Arabic flash cards, airport stop

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers for a college student handcuffed at a Philadelphia airport for several hours over Arabic language flashcards asked a U.S. appeals court to uphold his lawsuit against Transportation Security Administration agents.

Nicholas George was “perp walked” — as one judge described it Friday— after TSA agents saw the words “bomb” and “terrorist” among the flashcards and called police.

George is now a 24-year-old Google programmer. His father says George has also worked in the Mideast through a State Department program.

In arguments Friday, judges noted that airport security stops have different guidelines than drug stops, because the risk to the public is greater if a questionable suspect boards an airplane. Yet they questioned why George was detained for nearly five hours.